High School Softball

Colts hang on, beat Bears

North Marion's pitcher Holly McKinnon carries catcher Caeley Nix around the field as they celebrate their 3-2 win over Bartram Trail in the regional quarterfinal game at North Marion High School on Wednesday.

Published: Wednesday, April 24, 2013 at 10:13 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, April 24, 2013 at 10:13 p.m.

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The Colts barely survived a white-knuckle ride in Wednesday's 3-2 Region 5A-2 quarterfinal win over a hard-hitting Bartram Trail team that fought to the final out.

The visiting Bears (21-6) clawed out of a 3-0 hole to put the tying run on third base with one out in the seventh before North Marion left fielder Erin Klein ran down a fly ball to end the game.

"Honestly, I'm not going to lie about it, I was a little worried," North Marion coach Rob Blackmer said. "With the group we have here, the way that they play, the way they do everything they do, they're phenomenal. I knew they were going to do what they needed to do on that fly ball. I knew Erin was going to catch it."

North Marion (21-5) put on a small-ball clinic against the No. 6-ranked Bears. The Colts laid down six bunts and stole three bases, manufacturing all three of their runs to outscore a Bartram Trail team that probably had the five hardest hit balls of the night.

"We changed our game plan up a couple weeks ago," Blackmer said. "We were sitting back and we were driving the ball too, (but) you've got to be able to do both sides of it. If all you've got to rely on is the big hit, if you can't manufacture runs, then you're going to lose close games."

The No. 7 Colts jumped ahead 2-0 in the second inning when Brooke Sapp lined a single to left and took second on Hailey Cone's pin-pointed bunt single. The runners advanced on a groundout, then Amber Capps dropped a squeeze bunt to drive in Sapp.

Cone scored moments later on a wild pitch.

North Marion's third run, which came in the fifth inning, was collected in much the same fashion. Klein led off with a bunt single and took second on Brooke Gonzalez's bunt single. Klein then spearheaded a double steal to move to third and scored on Cone's sacrifice fly.

The Colts needed every ounce of that offense, because the Bears staged a furious rally in the final two innings against ace pitcher Holly McKinnon.

Batrtam Trail's Savannah McCormack led off the sixth inning with a laser that cleared the left field fence to put the Bears on the board at 3-1.

Then, in the seventh, Makala Quinn drew a leadoff walk to get things cooking once again. She was replaced by pinch runner Ansley Walker, who quickly came around to score on a three-base error as a Caeley Nix pickoff attempt to first baseman Mallory Lowe sailed through to the right field corner.

That made it 3-2, then things got even more tense with one out when Brooke Barlow belted a triple to right center.

McKinnon, who entered the game with a 20-4 record and a sparkling 0.37 ERA, bore down and struck out No. 2 hitter Leslie Farris, then Kayley Chisholm flew out to strand Barlow at third.

"I was just trying to keep my composure, stay calm and just try and have faith in my team that they would play defense behind me," said McKinnon, who scattered six hits and struck out seven to collect her 21st win of the season. "That's exactly what they did, they stepped up tremendously tonight."

It was a particularly good defensive game for freshman shortstop Hailey Cone, who made a heady play to kill a third-inning rally when she ranged deep into the hole to snare a grounder and alertly cut down the lead runner at third. Cone also had a pair of nifty backhand assists and two running catches with her back toward home plate.

"She had an awesome night," McKinnon said. "I'm extremely proud of her for stepping up in this awesome atmosphere. As a freshman, that's a huge thing for her confidence."

<p>It didn't take long for North Marion's 2013 playoff run to reach a fever pitch.</p><p>The Colts barely survived a white-knuckle ride in Wednesday's 3-2 Region 5A-2 quarterfinal win over a hard-hitting Bartram Trail team that fought to the final out.</p><p>The visiting Bears (21-6) clawed out of a 3-0 hole to put the tying run on third base with one out in the seventh before North Marion left fielder Erin Klein ran down a fly ball to end the game.</p><p>"Honestly, I'm not going to lie about it, I was a little worried," North Marion coach Rob Blackmer said. "With the group we have here, the way that they play, the way they do everything they do, they're phenomenal. I knew they were going to do what they needed to do on that fly ball. I knew Erin was going to catch it."</p><p>North Marion (21-5) put on a small-ball clinic against the No. 6-ranked Bears. The Colts laid down six bunts and stole three bases, manufacturing all three of their runs to outscore a Bartram Trail team that probably had the five hardest hit balls of the night.</p><p>"We changed our game plan up a couple weeks ago," Blackmer said. "We were sitting back and we were driving the ball too, (but) you've got to be able to do both sides of it. If all you've got to rely on is the big hit, if you can't manufacture runs, then you're going to lose close games."</p><p>The No. 7 Colts jumped ahead 2-0 in the second inning when Brooke Sapp lined a single to left and took second on Hailey Cone's pin-pointed bunt single. The runners advanced on a groundout, then Amber Capps dropped a squeeze bunt to drive in Sapp. </p><p>Cone scored moments later on a wild pitch.</p><p>North Marion's third run, which came in the fifth inning, was collected in much the same fashion. Klein led off with a bunt single and took second on Brooke Gonzalez's bunt single. Klein then spearheaded a double steal to move to third and scored on Cone's sacrifice fly.</p><p>The Colts needed every ounce of that offense, because the Bears staged a furious rally in the final two innings against ace pitcher Holly McKinnon. </p><p>Batrtam Trail's Savannah McCormack led off the sixth inning with a laser that cleared the left field fence to put the Bears on the board at 3-1. </p><p>Then, in the seventh, Makala Quinn drew a leadoff walk to get things cooking once again. She was replaced by pinch runner Ansley Walker, who quickly came around to score on a three-base error as a Caeley Nix pickoff attempt to first baseman Mallory Lowe sailed through to the right field corner.</p><p>That made it 3-2, then things got even more tense with one out when Brooke Barlow belted a triple to right center. </p><p>McKinnon, who entered the game with a 20-4 record and a sparkling 0.37 ERA, bore down and struck out No. 2 hitter Leslie Farris, then Kayley Chisholm flew out to strand Barlow at third.</p><p>"I was just trying to keep my composure, stay calm and just try and have faith in my team that they would play defense behind me," said McKinnon, who scattered six hits and struck out seven to collect her 21st win of the season. "That's exactly what they did, they stepped up tremendously tonight."</p><p>It was a particularly good defensive game for freshman shortstop Hailey Cone, who made a heady play to kill a third-inning rally when she ranged deep into the hole to snare a grounder and alertly cut down the lead runner at third. Cone also had a pair of nifty backhand assists and two running catches with her back toward home plate.</p><p>"She had an awesome night," McKinnon said. "I'm extremely proud of her for stepping up in this awesome atmosphere. As a freshman, that's a huge thing for her confidence." </p><p>The Colts advance to Tuesday's regional semifinal. They'll face No. 3 Jacksonville Creekside, a 2-1 winner over Palatka on Wednesday. </p><p><i>Andy Marks can be reached at andy.marks@starbanner.com.</i></p>